Switch operating means



May 4, 1943.

R. M'. BAILEY SWITCH OPERATING MEANS Filed June 17, 1941 fi 3 INVENTOR.@5597 M 54/4 5') ATTORNEYJ Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE SWITCH OPERATING MEANS Application June 17, 1941, Serial No.398,427

4 Claims.

This invention relates to switch operating means, and as one of itsobjects, aims to provide an improved arrangement by which fluid pressuremay be employed for causing the desired actuation of an electric switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved switch operatingmeans embodying an expansible chamber device and in which the closing ofa normally open relief passage causes fluid pressure to build up in thedevice for actuating the switch.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved switch operatingmeans of this char acter in which the normally open relief passage islocated on a portable tool or the like and the electric switch to beoperated is located at a point relatively remote from the station atwhich the operator handles the portable tool.

Still another object of my invention is to provide improved switchoperating means of the character referred to in which there is arestriction in the pressure fluid supply means leading to the expansiblechamber device and to the normally open relief passage.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andparticularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing improved switch operating meansembodying my invention; portions of the apparatus being removed orbroken away for a better illustration of the various details andfeatures of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus showing particularly the unitcontaining the electric switch and the expansible chamber device; and

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view taken through theswitch-containing unit or casing as. indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Further reference will now be made to the drawing for the purpose ofdescribing the construction and operation of my switch operating meansin greater detail, but I wish it understood that my invention is not tobe regarded as limited. thereby, because it is susceptible of beingembodied in various other arrangements coming within the scope of theappended claims.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, I show anelectric switch l and a fluid pressure responsive device ll of theexpansible-chamber type for operating such switch. This switch may beused for any desired purpose such as ior controlling the circuit ofarelay embodied in liquid dispensing or battery filling apparatus of thekind disclosed in copending application, Serial No. 390,944, filed April29, 194.1. The switch may be of any suitable construction and may be ofthe kind having contacts adapted to be opened or closed with a snapaction in response to a very small travel of its operating plunger orbutton l2. Such a switch is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,960,020,granted May 22, 1934.

As shown in the drawing, the switch l0 and the fluid pressure responsivedevice I! may be mounted in a suitable box or housing 13 and the switchmay have a pair of conductors it extending therefrom and leading awayfrom the housing through a conduit [5.

The expansible chamber device ll may comprise a body [5 having apressure chamber ll therein, one wall of which is formed by a flexibleor elastic diaphragm Ill having edge portions thereof held against thebody It by a clamping ring I9. The body It may have a projectingthreaded stem 29 thereon with a passage eXtending therethrough andcommunicating with the pressure chamber IT. The body it may be mountedin the housing I3, at a point substantially opposite the plunger l2 ofthe switch H], by means of the threaded stem 23 which extends through awall 13a of the housing and has nuts 22 thereon in clamping engagementwith opposite faces of such housing wall. Pressure fluid entering thechamber I! expands or distends the diaphragm I8 to actuate the switchiii, as will be later explained. The outward or expansive movement ofthe diaphragm l3 may be transmitted or applied to the switch actuatingplunger i2 by means of a thrust member or screw 23 moveably supportedbetween the diaphragm and plunger. The screw 23 may have a head or diskportion 23a adjacent the diaphragm l8 and has the or. er end of itsthreaded stem 23b closely adjacent to, or in engagement with, theplunger 12. Although the disk portion 23a of the screw 23 may beconnected to the diaphragm I8, I prefer to have it unconnected butlocated against or close to the outer face of the diaphragm.

The movement-transmitting member or screw 23 may be carried by thediaphragm l8 or preferably, as shown in this instance, may be carried bya. plate spring or resilient arm 25 which may be mounted on a stud 26projecting from the wall l3a of the housing 53. The threaded stem 232)may extend through an opening of the spring 25 and may have nuts 23cthereon in clamping engagement with opposite faces of. the spring.

The upper end of the spring 25 may be connected with the stud 26 byclamping nuts 26a thereon and the stud may be connected with the housingwall [3a by clamping nuts 2% disposed on opposite sides of such wall.The spring 25 serves to retract the diaphragm l8 and the screw 23 whenthe pressure in the chamber I! has been relieved. The position of thebody l6 relative to the switch It], as well as the action of the spring25, can be adjusted or varied by making the desired adjustment at one ormore of the several pairs of clamping nuts 22, 230, 26a, and 2%.

Pressure fluid, such as compressed air, may be supplied to my switchoperating means through a conduit 2'! leading from a tank or othersuitable source of supply for fluid at super-atmospheric pressure. Thedelivery end of the conduit 21 is connected with a T-fitting 28 havingtwo branch passages 28a and 281), the former of which is connected withthe pressure chamber I! of the expansible chamber device H through aconduit 29 and the passage of the stem 20. The branch passage 28b" ofthe T-fitting Z8 is connected with a normally open passage or orifice 30provided on a portable device or tool 3 l. passage 231) may be connectedwith such normally open orifice by a flexible conduit 32 of appropriatelength to permit the tool to be used by an operator at a stationrelatively remote from the housing l3 in which the electric switch iscontained.

The portable device or tool 3| may be any one of various kinds ofportable tools or devices, but in this instance, is a filling head foruse in filling the cells of storage batteries with acid or otherelectrolyte. The portable tool or filling head here shown has a frame 33carrying discharge nozzles 34 adapted to be inserted into the cellopenings of the battery to be filled and also having a handle 35 bywhich the tool can be manipulated by the workman. The normally openorifice or passage 30 may be located on the handle 35 at a pointconveniently accessible to the thumb or finger of the workman, so thatby applying his thumb or finger to such passage or orifice, he can closethe same and prevent. the escape of air or other pressure fluidtherefrom to atmosphere which will actuate the switch It) as hereinafterdescribed.

The switch l0 may have contacts which are either normally closed ornormally open, depending upon the requirements of the circuit controlledby the switch. When super-atmospheric pressure builds up in the chamberH, the diaphragm l8 will be distended or flexed outwardly, therebyshifting the screw 23 and causing the same to actuate the switch plungeror button 12 to produce the desired opening or closing of the switchcontacts. So long. as the orifice orpassage 30 remains open toatmosphere, no appreciable pressure will build up in the chamber I1, butwhen the operator closes this orifice or passage, the fluid beingsupplied through the conduit 21 will cause super-atmospheric pressure tobuild up in the chamber H and will distend the diaphragm andactuate theswitch It in the manner just explained. When the operator uncovers theorifice or passage 30, the pressure in the chamber I1 is vented orrelieved to atmosphere and the spring 25 acts to retract the diaphragml8 and the screw 23.

To prevent the building up of pressure in the chamber I! while thepassage or orifice 30 is open or uncovered, I may provide the T-fitting2 8 with a restricted passage 36 by which the supp1y con The :1

cil

duit 2"! is connected with the passages 28a and 28b. Thus the passagesconnecting the chamber IT with the atmosphere will be of largercrosssectional area than the restricted passage 36 and pressure will notbuild up in the chamber l1 unless the orifice or opening 30 has firstbeen closed by the operator. The restricted passage 35 also serves toincrease the speed with which the pressure builds up when the orifice3i! has been closed. This is due to the fact that when the restrictedpassage 33 is used there is a more limited space in which pressure is tobe built up than would be the case if the restricted passage were notemployed. I find that actuation of the electric switch will occur withina fraction of a second after the operator places his finger over theorifice 30.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it willnow be readily seen that I have provided improved switch operating meansby which compressed air or other pressure fluid may be used to actuatean electric switch. The arrangement which I have provided permits theswitch to be located at a relatively remote point from the operatorsstation which is an advantage in situations where its is unsafe orundesirable to have the operator come in contact with any kind ofelectrical apparatus whatever. My improved switch operating mechanism isof relatively simple construction but, nevertheless, it provides apositive and eifioient means by which an electric switch located at anydesired point relative to the work station can be actuated wheneverdesigned.

While I have illustrated and described my improved switch operatingmeans in more or less detail, it will be understood, of course, that Ido not wish to be limited to the particular arrangement and detailsherein disclosed, but regard my invention as including such changes andmodifications as do not constitute a departure from the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In switch operating mechanism, an expansible chamber device having amember adapted to be moved in response to the building up ofsuper-atmospheric pressure in the device, a manually portable devicehaving thereon an air escape opening normally communicating withatmosphere but adapted to be manually closed, an air line for supplyingair at super-atmospheric pressure, said line having a restrictiontherein and having connections leading from the restriction to saidexpansible chamber device and to said air escape opening, and anelectric switch arranged to be actuated by movement of said member.

2. In apparatus for operating an electric switch, a device adjacent theswitch having a pressure chamber and a movable diaphragm forming a wallof said chamber, means between said diaphragm and switch fortransmitting expansive movement of the diaphragm to the switch, a

spring acting to retract the diaphragm, and air pressure supply meansconnected with said chamber and having a normally open escape passage toatmosphere adapted to be manually closed to cause super-atmosphericpressure to build up in said chamber and expand said diaphragm.

3. In apparatus for operating an electric switch, a device adjacent theswitch having a pressure chamber and a movable diaphragm forming a wallof said chamber, mean between said diaphragm and switch for transmittingexpansive movement of the diaphragm to the switch, a spring acting toretract the diaphragm, a manually portable device having thereon on airdischarge passage normally open to atmosphere but adapted to be manuallyclosed, a flexible conduit connecting said portable device with thepressure chamber device, an air supply line for supplying air atsuper-atmospheric pressure and having connection with said pressurechamber and with said normally open passage of the portable devicethrough said flexible conduit, and a restriction in said supply lineahead of said connection to the pressure chamber.

4. In switch operating mechanism of the character described, a housing,an electric switch therein having an actuating plunger, a fluid pressureresponsive device in the housing and having a flexible diaphragm spacedfrom said switch,

a resilient arm connected with said housing and extending into the spacebetween said diaphragm and said switch, a thrust member carried by saidarm and having a head adjacent said diaphragm and a stem adjacent saidplunger, the stem of said member being threaded and having adjustableconnection with said arm, a manually portable device having thereon afluid discharge passage which is normally open to atmosphere but adaptedto be manually closed, and a fluid pressure supply line connected withsaid pressure responsive device and with the normally open dischargepassage for causing super-atmospheric pressure to build up in saidpressure responsive device for flexing the diaphragm and actuating theswitch upon the closing of the normally open passage of said portabledevice.

ROBERT M. BAILEY.

